Who got their money's worth from their overseas pro?

[Teatime FatCat]

Sorry Maranello, but I'm nicking your thread a bit here!

I started watching cricket from the late 70's - a glory time for overseas pro's in English cricket. It prompts the question - which counties did best out of their overseas pros in the last 25 years?

I remember Middx did really well out of Wayne Daniel and Des Haynes.

I know Surrey got their money's worth out of Sylvester Clarke

Did Somerset benefit from Garner & Richards?

Hants got something out of Greenidge and Marshall

Akram and Lloyd at Lancs?

Imran and Le Roux at Sussex?

Did Hadlee and Rice help Notts to glory in any way?

Donald superb at Warks

........... and who was absolute poo? Jeff Thompson at Middx, Steve Elworthy at Lancs, Blewett anywhere, Razzaq at Middx, Yuvraj Sing?

C'mon guys - who's the man?

[Lee Johnson]

Kent got an absolute bargain when they signed Aravinda De Silva, what a quality batsmen he was.

[Notts Exile]

Originally Posted by Teatime FatCat

Did Somerset benefit from Garner & Richards?

Hants got something out of Greenidge and Marshall

Did Hadlee and Rice help Notts to glory in any way?

Donald superb at Warks

Being biased I would suggest that Hadlee and Rice took a very average Notts side to the top for several years, and gave the others the confidence to become better players (Robinson, Broad and French all benefited). Notts wouldn't have been half the team without that duo. Franklyn Stephenson and Chris Cairns served us well too.

Garner and Richards and Marshall and Greenidge were great to watch. Neither duo brought the same levels of success to their counties though. Maybe Donald did at Warwickshire. And however great Akram was at Old Trafford they still never won a Championship!!

Darren Lehmann at Yorkshire could easily be added to that list.

[Milo]

I totally agree with this NE. For all the great performances of oversees players, very few have actually been solely responsible for success. Garner and Richards won a few B&Hs, but Rive and Hadlee did actually bring the silverware (something Marshall and Greenidge never could). Lloyd was instrumental in Lancy's one day successes but as you say, they never won the big one.

If you think back to the Essex and Middlesex teams of the 70s and 80s it was all very much done through home-based players (Fletcher, Gooch, Lever) and (Gatting, Brearley, Emburey, Edmonds, Cowans). However good Phillip and Daniel were they weren't the real difference. Although Ken McEwan was a handy bat.

[Notts Exile]

Originally Posted by Milo

I totally agree with this NE. For all the great performances of oversees players, very few have actually been solely responsible for success. Garner and Richards won a few B&Hs, but Rive and Hadlee did actually bring the silverware.

If you think back to the Essex and Middlesex teams of the 70s and 80s it was all very much done through home-based players (Fletcher, Gooch, Lever) and (Gatting, Brearley, Emburey, Edmonds, Cowans). However good Phillip and Daniel were they weren't the real difference. Although Ken McEwan was a handy bat.

Thankfully on the days when Rice and Hadlee didn't perform there were useful contributions from the homegrown bunch like Randall and Hemmings (who won many a match on the third day single handedly). The Rice and Hadlee partnership was the catalyst for those players to perform.

The Middlesex and Essex sides were very special, built around hard working professionals. Maybe the Middlesex side had more stars in it than the Chelmsford boys.

[Teatime FatCat]

Yeah, I might argue that point also - my memory's a bit misty, but I'm pretty sure that during Middx championship winning seasons Des Haynes contributed heavily.

I think a county might say that they have had their moneys worth out of someone like Wasim Akram if they win a one-day trophy thru' his sterling performances. I'm sure akram must have single-handedly won a semi or a final in the 80's / 90's.

De Silva was a great signing. I'm stunned more Sri Lankans don't get to play here - especially as in 2005 I think they'd be free for the whole season. What price a Vaas or Sangakarra or Chandana?

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Notts Exile

Darren Lehmann at Yorkshire could easily be added to that list.

Well said. If his dressingroom and onfield leadership and general influence over the club has been having anything like the long term impact that's being talked about.. then even aside from his batting.. he'll have done something monumental.

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

Vaas is a great bowler IMHO, so a run on tracks that might actually assist seam bowling rather than spinner friendly dust bowls should highlight howw good he really is.

[Maranello]

Similary Attapattu and Sangakkara are two technically sound batsmen, in particular the former. Its a surprise that these three alongwith Vaas have not yet been snapped up. Though when they do tour with their national team, most Lankanks, with the exception of De Silva, struggle in England - maybe its the weather!

PS: in their recent tour to Pak, the Sri Lankans were in the field on some particularly hot days, with the temp. over 40 degrees C and the humidity over 60% - which in my opinion is too hot to indulge in any outdoor activity, let alone play a sport - however, all of the Sri Lankans, to a man said they'd rather have that heat then the weather they had just come from in England!

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

Going back to the original question, Donald has to be pick of the bunch. Apart from the fact he was an amazing bowler I believe he also heavily involved in coaching the younger bowlers at warks.